In embodiments, the technical field of the invention is methods and systems for detecting and managing moving traffic obstacles.
Traffic congestion in developing cities like Nairobi, Kenya can be significantly impacted by the presence of “Moving Traffic Obstacles” (MTOs). These MTOs are those events that temporarily exist on the road, moving with or against the direction of traffic at slower speeds. They include two-wheelers, pushcarts, animals, and pedestrians, which have quite different influence on traffic compared with static obstacles, such as potholes and speed bumps.
The existing sophisticated tools for detecting road obstacles can be prohibitively expensive and often unpractical to deploy in developing countries. Smartphones and supporting 3G infrastructure are wide spread even in developing countries and have great potential to be used to improve traffic quality and safety because they are relatively low-cost, ubiquitous, and carry a suite of sensors that can be used to measure the movement of vehicles.